That would have been interesting – locked in a jail cell below the embassy in DC!

Hayden Panettiere

But the 18-year-old actress is proving she’s a real-life Hero too.

She’s an animal rights activist and last year a warrant was issued for her arrest in Japan when she took part in an demo that almost got her killed.

Brave Hayden was among 30 protesters who paddled on surfboards to try to block the massacre of dolphins by Japanese fishermen.

Pictures of her sobbing on the beach were beamed around the world.

Yet far from being embarrassed, she says it has thrown a spotlight on the savage trade.

And joining us for a chat as we welcome back the new series of the sci-fi hit which started this week, the pint-sized blonde says she will continue to use her new-found fame as a weapon “against evil in the world”.

Since hitting the big time in the BBC2 show, Hayden has travelled the world urging diplomats to end the brutal whale trade.

She even took on the Japanese ambassador at a political meeting in Washington DC.

She says: “I recently spent four days in Washington visiting the embassies of Japan, Norway and Iceland – the whaling nations.

“I spoke to the foreign minister of Japan who welcomed me back. I think they must have lifted the arrest warrant because I was allowed at the embassy.

“That would have been interesting – locked in a jail cell below the embassy in DC!”

And don’t let her size fool you. Hayden, despite being so young, is not afraid to take on the toughest politicians in the world. And she admits she was surprised about how nice they were to her.

She says with a laugh: “The Japanese ambassador was so polite. He said: ‘You are the most welcomed guest I’ve ever had.’ I was like: ‘S**t, really?’”

In between trying to save the world, she filmed the second series of Heroes (if you missed Thursday’s opener you can catch the repeat tomorrow).

It starts four months from where we left off and Hayden says there is plenty more guts and gore in store for her fiery alter ego, whose body can regenerate.

And a couple of newcomers – notably Kristen Bell, 26, who will play a character called Elle – are set to spice things up.

“Claire’s back with the Bennets,” she explains. “But they are no longer the real Bennets. They are something else, but I’m not going to tell you what!

“Claire is just trying to make that transition. The first season was about what happened when ordinary people discover extraordinary abilities.

“This season it’s about what happens when those extraordinary people try to be ordinary.

“The problem is she’s become so used to her abilities that now she wants to know what her pain tolerance is and if her limbs will always grow back!

“Trust me, you’ll see plenty of blood. Plenty of snaps, crackles, and pops!”